The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a method of producing an electrode support for a spark plug, and more specifically to a method of producing an electrode for a spark plug using brazing.
Spark plugs include an electrode chip located at an end of a center electrode. A separate chip is also located on an end of a side or ground electrode. An air or spark gap is located between the chip positioned on the center electrode and the chip positioned on the ground electrode. In one approach, the spark plug is manufactured by welding a single chip to both the center electrode and the ground electrode. Then, the chip is then machined to create the spark gap between the center electrode and the ground electrode. The chip is generally constructed from a precious or noble metal such as, for example, a platinum based alloy. Noble and precious metals usually have a relatively high cost.
Several drawbacks in the current manufacturing approach generally exist. For example, welding may result in cracks in a weld joint, due to a mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the different materials that the chip and the center and ground electrodes are constructed from. Also, welding consumes a portion of the relatively costly material the chip is constructed from.